Monday, 17 December

22:25

An interesting visitor to Hamilton Island Airport as the sun was
setting on Monday 17 December with Kefford
Corporation (of Victoria) Gulfstream IV-SP N7DK noted touching down
from Melbourne (Essendon) via the Gold Coast.

The sleek Gulfstream, which is a familiar visitor to Central
Queensland, has recently been re-registered from N810LP and was
photographed above in late November outside the hangar at its
Essendon Airport base.

20:35

On Monday 17 December, Queensland Government
(QGAir) Rescue Bell 412EP helicopter VH-ESB was noted flying South
from its Townsville base to Emerald and Roma Airports. It is
unclear for the reason for the flight.

Meanwhile, another helicopter to visit Emerald and other CQ
Airports also on Monday 17 December was Corporate
Aviation Bell 429 Global Ranger helicopter VH-EQP. It was
originally noted calling into Biloela / Thangool Airport from its
Southport before it continued to Wanella Station (near
Coppabella). VH-EQP then continued to Emerald Airport where
it looked to be spending the night.

Finally, an interesting aircraft that was noted ferrying North via
Emerald Airport last Tuesday 11 December was
Pacific Aerospace PAC750XL VH-ZVM which arrived from Port Macquarie
and then departed to Innisfail.

The aircraft is usually utilised as a parachuting aircraft and has
recently been operating out of Elderslie Airport in New South Wales
with Skydive Elderslie - Newcastle Sport Parachute Club.

VH-ZVM has since continued to further North to Horn Island.

18:42

Governments and corporations are now
demonising cash, under whatever pretext the corporations think of
this month, in order to gain full access to the tax slaves
movements, which then can be used to control their lives.

Apparently now, if you save money for a
'rainy day' (plenty of those in Melbourne), then you're branded
with a negative connotation that being of a hoarder.

Many humans from the herd population love
the (digital) slavery they're in, i.e. being a 'product' that gives
data way to corporations for very little reward, like $2 for every
50 litres of fuel purchased, for surrendering their docket, which
contains the purchaser's history within that docket.

The forcing of people to go cashless is not
for the benefit to those people, but rather government and
corporations, although there are many arguments put forward, where
convenience is pushed as the main selling point.

18:19

Listeners to BBC Radio 4s Today programme on
December 15th heard the following (from 05:06here) in a news bulletin
presented by Alan Smith. [emphasis in italics in the original,
emphasis in bold added]

Smith: Australia says it now
recognises West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but it wont be
moving its embassy from Tel Aviv at this stage. The prime minister
Scott Morrison has also acknowledged the aspirations of
Palestinians for a future state with its capital in East
Jerusalem. The divided city, where the Israeli
parliament is located, is not internationally recognised as the
countrys capital. Phil Mercer reports from Sydney.

Apparently BBC Radio 4 along with the BBCs
correspondent in Sydney is so used to using the politically
partisan term East Jerusalem that it has forgotten that although
Jerusalem was indeed divided during the nineteen-year period of the
unrecognisedJordanian occupationthat began in 1948, it was ...

17:43

The Queensland Labor Government has handed responsibility for a
controversial program that nets and tags the endangered Red Goshawk
on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula to international mining giant
Rio Tinto. The goshawks are caught and tagged during their nesting
season.

A Red Goshawk caught near its nest near Weipa in a bow net and
fitted with a GPS satellite transmitter in a harness disappeared
three months later. The then Queensland Department of Environment
and Heritage Protection told north Queensland blogger Tony Nielson
in February 2017 that a month after the adult female disappeared,
its female fledgling was also netted and fitted with a tracking
device; the movements of that bird were being tracked 12 months
later.

Netting and tagging can provide valuable information about the
movements of migratory waders and other birds, but such programs
should be conducted in moderation and with great care. An important
shorebird roost at Toorbul in South-East Queensland, for instance,
was deserted for a considerable time after ca...

16:29

Kanowna solar farm near Moree believed to be first to use both
DC optimisers and centralised DC-coupled inverters to cater for
battery storage and get around network connection hurdles. The post
Solar farms getting smaller, cheaper and smarter to overcome grid
hurdles appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As wildfires burn, as temperatures rise, as the last remaining
old-growth forests in Poland are logged, world leaders
are in Katowiceto negotiate the
implementation of the Paris climate agreement. To outsiders, UN
climate talks may seem like a positive step. Unfortunately, this is
COP24.

For 24 years, world leaders have annually
talked at each other instead of to one another
in hopes of reaching an agreement on how to mitigate the climate
crisis. In all that time, they have barely scratched the surface of
an issue that the worlds top climate scientists say we now have 12
years to stop and that is an optimistic estimate.

Theres an urgency in my heart being...

15:23

I am delighted to publish this guest post by Colin Dwyer of
DS Economics on the Townsville economys improving prospects. The
views expressed are Colins and should not necessarily be attributed
to me. GT

New Townsville

In this essay Founder of Our Fair Share Colin Dwyer
identifies over 20 private and public sector Townsville projects,
(some potential, many confirmed) worth over $9 billion that
are helping Townsville forge a new reputation and a stronger more
diversified economic future.

Townsville is Northern Australias largest city, has 300 days of
sunshine each year, and has a reputation as a diversified
economy. The North Queensland city once enjoyed 8% GRP growth
and 3.5% population increases. The economy is bolstered by the
largest regional hospital in Queensland, the largest Army Barracks
in Australia and is a major higher education, base metals exporter
and transport hub. But in 2016-17, Townsville experienced a deep
depression with significant declines in asset values, significant
jobs and skills losses and suffered another year of negative net
migration. A contributing factor to the length of Townsvilles
downturn was minimal public and private investment.

Something has changed in Townsville. Asset prices have
stabilised, jobs are being created, there are cranes on the horizon
once again and, while the city is not firing on all economic
cylinders, in 2019 a NEW Townsville is likely to build on this
opportunity and create a new economic reputation. Over 20
major projects are current, starting or planned for Townsville in
2019. Their total cost is similar to Townsvilles current GRP,
something that should be envied by other cities.

Although some sectors in Townsville are struggling, 2018 seems
to be the start of economic recovery. Theres more potential in
Townsville with multiple major projects costing over $9 billion,
more jobs and improving economic activity in 2019 and beyond.
This is significant for a city with just over $10 billion in
GRP. Some of the projects are large with meaningful enduring
operational job outcomes. Sun Metals recently confirmed its
expansion plans with a 350 jobs construction workforce requirement,
and more than 150 above average income earning operational staff
needed on completion. In 2019 the federal government will
drive the three year $512 million Haughton flood plains Bruce
highway upgrade just south of Townsville and Adani will start on
its $2 billion Carmichael Coal mine. The $2 billion Singapore
defence project recently announced it had acquired enough land to
proceed to the next phase of the project. In 2020 Townsville
will open its new stadium, in time for the NRL season. These
diverse projects will create significant enduring jobs.

Several other organisations have similar reports including QMBA
and Townsvil...

14:19

Published on Dec 16,
2018European auto
resignations plunge, this is not a good sign, we are seeing auto
sales in the US and Europe decline. Home prices in Australia,
Canada and Europe are declining, the housing prices in the US are
also dropping, bubble is deflating. Q posted how the Fed is going
to be taken down by gold, Trump confirms this by his past comments
on gold. The timing will be everything but the build up to
contradict and bring the Fed down is in the works.Published on Dec 16, 2018Texas Judge rules
Obamacare is unconstitutional. Robert Mueller gives the 302's to
the Judge. Clinton answers questions under oath and can't remember
20 of them. The MSM is preparing for video and other news by
telling everyone do not believe what you see or hear. Anons
explains whats coming up.

13:23

The Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention in
NSW 2018-2023 was developed by the NSW Mental Health
Commission and the NSW Ministry of Health in collaboration with
people with lived experience of suicide attempts or losing a loved
one to suicide, government agencies, mental health organisations
and experts in suicide prevention.

The Framework identifies five priority action areas to reduce
suicide in NSW:

Building individual and community resilience and
wellbeing
To help people cope with tough times

Strengthening the community response to suicide and
suicidal behaviour
To help people recognise those who are at risk of suicide, and take
steps to support them

Supporting excellence in clinical services and
care
To ensure people have access to appropriate, high quality clinical
services and care, including broader supports and
services

Promoting a collaborative, coordinated and integrated
approach
To reduce duplication and gaps

Innovating for a stronger evidence base
To know and use interventions that work to prevent suicide.

13:16

When: 4:30pm 19th December 2018 Where: Australian Federal
Police, 383 LaTrobe St, West Melbourne, VIC Facebook event here
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi, a permanent Australian resident
living in Melbourne, is being held in Thailand and faces
deportation back to the threat of torture in Bahrian. He fled
Bahrain because of persecution and torture due to(...)

09:51

A coalition of environment, unions and faith groups protested
outside the Labor Partys national conference in Adelaide on Sunday,
calling for the party to stop the expansion of the fossil fuel
industry.

On the plus side, EDO NSW has endorsed the partys commitment to
create a national Environment Protection Authority.

Protesters demanded a stop to oil drilling in the Great
Australian Bight, preventing Adani and other coal mines in
Queenslands Galilee Basin and an end to fracking and gas
exploration, in the Northern Territory, Western Australias stunning
Kimberley and the Pilliga Forest in NSW.

The Wilderness Societys South Australia director, Peter Owen,
said it was, insane Australia is opening up new oil, gas and coal
frontiers when we know we need to stop burning fossil fuels.

Height of irresponsibility

Expanding the fossil fuel industry is the height of
irresponsibility and not an option if we are to have any chance of
providing our children with a liveable climate

Its also concerning that many of these fossil fuel frontiers are
in pristine areas such as the Great Australian Bight, Western
Australias stunning Kimberley and NSWs biggest inland forest, the
Pilliga. The Great Australian Bight whale nursery is a completely
inappropriate place for risky deep-sea oil drilling, especially as
we hurtle towards catastrophic climate change.

We now know we must act immediately to avoid locking in
catastrophic climate change. Allowing the fossil fuel industry to
expand would negate Labors good work in promoting renewable energy.
Its time for the Labor Party to show national leadership and commit
to stopping the expansion of the fossil fuel industry when it sets
its election platform at this national conference.

Philippa Rowland, president of Multifaith SA, said, people of
faith in Australia feel the urgent need for an ethical response to
threats posed to vulnerable communities from escalating climate
impacts across our region all climate policies must include a rapid
transition away from fossil fuels.

Buff-breasted sandpiper found by Tina Ellen Rider and Sean Nolan
on Saturday and twitched by many people over the weekend. The bird
is still present this morning (17th) according to a post from Tina
on Facebook. The bird tends to prefer the samphire around the
second hide (further from the gate). For those going to see it,
please take the track along the fence to the second hide rather
than the inside track to avoid flushing the birds.

06:56

A new study published
in Nature has found evidence for 467 ways
in which climate hazards due to global warming are making life on
the planet harder for humans. It confirms that we are witnessing a
shift in the functioning of the Earth system as a whole, a shift to
a new state that is unsympathetic to the continued flourishing of
human life.

A changing climate is only one feature of a warming globe. Human
activity has bounced the Earth into a state that has no equivalent
in its 4.5 billion year history.

Clive Hamilton

The Earths new trajectory as it spins into the future has led
scientists to tell us we have entered a new geological epoch, the
Anthropocene. We have crossed a threshold and the geological clock
cannot be turned back. The disruption we have caused is
increasingly unpredictable and uncontrollable, and it has no
endpoint.

There are, therefore, two questions humankind must face. What
must we do to prevent serial disasters becoming existential
catastrophe? And how can we make our social and economic systems
flexible enough to cope with the new dispensation?

There are several reasons an international agreement has proven
so hard. The leading one is sabotage by climate science deniers.
Ca...

04:42

The concept of teleportation comes primarily from
science fiction literature throughout human history, but things are
changing. Its 2015 and developments in quantum theory and general
relativity physics have been successful in exploring the concept of
teleportation for quite some time now.

Today, numerous teleportation breakthroughs have been made. One
example is the work of Professor Rainer Blatt, at the University of
Innsbruck. They were successfully able to perform teleportation on
atoms for the first time, their work was published in the journal
Nature. They were able to transfer key properties of one
particle to another without using any physical link. In this case,
teleportation occurred in the form of transferring quantum states
between two atoms, these include the atoms energy, motion, magnetic
field and other physical properties. This is possible due to the
strange behavior that exists at the atomic scale, known as
entanglement. Its what Einstein referred to as a spooky
action.

Another study was published by a team of University of
Queensland physicists in the journal Nature in 2013
demonstrating the successful teleportation with solid state
systems. A process by which, again, quantum information can be
transmitted from one place to another without sending a physical
carrier of information. This is the same concept, and is made
possible through the phenomenon of entanglement.

02:37

For parents enduring daily fights with their sons about video
games, the chilling video of Western Sydney man Luke Munday
allegedly hitting his partner as she begged him to stop playing
Fortnite was a manifestation of their worst fears this week.

Violent and aggressive reactions in children as young as eight
when they are asked to stop playing are not uncommon, said Game
Quitters founder Cam Adair.

Addiction to video games is forcing thousands of people into rehab
clinics.

Its unfortunately not uncommon, violence and aggression are
quite frequent reactions of people who are made to stop, he said
from the Chang Mai outpost of Sydney addiction centre The
Cabin.

We speak to a lot of parents who are at their wits ends, they
dont know how to make their sons stop.

Mr Adair estimates that there are 10 to 50 million gaming
addicts across the globe, with that number set to rise.

The volume of people seeking help is double or triple what it
was a year ago, and I think itll keep going up. Australia is a
really significant market for gaming companies, and thus fertile
ground for a video game addiction. Lots of people are
suffering.

Beginning in childhood, an addiction to video games can have
devastating consequences.

Last month, Sydney man Daniel Chapman, 22, was convicted of
fatally stabbing his father Steven Chapman with a 14cm blade when
the pair began arguing about Daniels refusal to stop playing
computer games and come to the dinner table in October 2016.

The marsupials varied diet could help safeguard some of
Australias fungi and forests

A small endangered marsupial with a taste for
truffles may be a linchpin in one kind of Australian forest and
the evidence is in the animals poop.

Northern bettongs feast on truffles, the meaty, spore-producing
parts of certain fungi. Plenty of animals eat a selection of these
subterranean orbs from time to time. But analyses of the scat from
northern bettongs (Bettongia tropica) reveal that the marsupials eat truffles from a wider
diversity of fungi species than other critters, including some
that no other animals appear to favor, researchers report November
22 in Molecular Ecology.

Thats an important role because these truffle-producing fungi
form beneficial relationships with tree roots, helping trees pull
nutrients and moisture from soil. Theres been a whole raft of
published studies showing that those fungi give plants an edge,
says Andrew Claridge, an ecologist for the New South Wales National
Parks and Wildlife Service in Queanbeyan who wasnt part of the
study.

Australias eucalyptus forests host hundreds, or possibly even
thousands, of truffle fungi species, says study coauthor Susan
Nuske, an ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences in Ume. Different species seem to be specialized to
associate with particular trees or perform certain roles, so
maintaining that diversity is key. By spreading truffles spores via
scat, bettongs help keep the fungal community diverse and, by
extension, the forest healthy, say Nuske and her colleagues.

14:40

Police have issued a warning to
motorists not to cross flooded roads and even to be on the lookout
for crocs.

And they dont mean those Crocs shoes or crocodile-skin
motorcycle seats!

Heavy rain and flash flooding are expected on the Queensland and
northern NSW coasts in the next couple of days.

Police and emergency services have reiterated their call: If its
flooded, forget it.

Riders are particularly vulnerable to being swept away in
fast-flowing creek crossings.

Police say they will fine motorists hundreds of dollars for
negligent driving if they attempt to cross flood waters and get
stuck, requiring rescue.

Crocs warning

But there is also a unique problem for riders in Far North
Queensland crocs!

With North Queensland well-known croc country police near Tully
came across a crocodile sitting near the middle of the road last
night. Officers fortunately were able to avoid the animal however
with heavy rains still falling from ex-tropical cyclone Owen
wildlife can be expected to be displaced and may wander onto
roadways.

If you think hitting a roo is a problem, try tangling with a
croc!

Water crossings

You may have crossed this particular crossing before and think
that the water is just a little higher than normal. However, there
could be a sink hole underneath and you could lose your bike and
then be swept away in the fast-running waters.

Flooded water is unpredictable. Is the level still rising, how
fast is the water flowing, is it flowing at different rates in
different parts of the crossing, is a sudden surge of more water on
its way, what objects have been washed down and are now submerged
underneath such as barbed wire?

There are too many unknowns.

Dont be that idiot that goes playing in flooded waters and ends
up losing their bike, forcing emergency services personnel to risk
their lives trying to save you.

Church Times UK

Cardinal Pell convicted in child-abuse case

THE most senior Roman Catholic figure in Australia, Cardinal
George Pell, has been found guilty of five incidents of historical
sexual abuse of choirboys in the 1990s. Cardinal Pell had denied
the charges.

The unanimous decision in the Victorian County Court came after
the jury in a previous hearing was unable to reach a verdict. He
will be sentenced in February.

The decision cannot be published in any Australian media because
of a suppression order. Various media outlets are currently
contesting the ban, imposed by Judge Peter Kidd on the grounds that
coverage could prejudice other legal actions involving the
Cardinal.

Cardinal Pell faces a trial in March next year on separate child
sexual-abuse charges relating to the 1970s. However, the courts
verdict has been widely disseminated in Australia through internet
sites and soc...

00:47

Flash floods have caused havoc for some in Melbourne on Saturday
afternoon, with flash flooding turning backyards, suburban streets
and ponds into gushing rivers. A Christmas party at a Pakenham
housing estate in the city's outer southeast was called off
Saturday afternoon when heavy rainfall halted celebrations.
Organiser Samantha Thorpe said a little pond nearby became "like a
raging river". "It has never happened like this before."

00:16

Seventeen people have been rescued by helicopter and 100 people
are stranded in their cars on a flooded Hume Highway in northeast
Victoria. With more than a month's worth of rain already fallen
across parts of northeast Victoria as wild weather rages across the
state, authorities say some people have not heeded warnings about
driving into floodwaters. "We've seen people that have had to be
rescued from the roofs of their cars, 17 people in total, and 100
people have been stranded just to the south of Wangaratta,"
Victoria State Emergency Service chief officer Tim Wiebusch told
reporters.

Saturday, 15 December

23:32

The Powering Past Coal Alliance announced on Friday that Sydney
and Melbourne had joined the Alliance at an event: Accelerating the
global coal transition. This follows the Australian Capital
Territory joining in September 2018. Other states and businesses
that joined at COP24 included Israel, Scotland, Senegal, and
Scottish Power. The Alliance, formed in Bonn in 2017 at COP23, now
includes 80

22:04

Last month, at the ESA-Griffith-QUT-UQ Economics Summer School
held at OReillys Rainforest Retreat, Griffith University Senior
Lecturer Andreas Chai gave a fascinating presentation on his
research on consumption patterns. Here are the important points
from
Andreass report for UNIDO on Household Consumption
Patterns:

While low- and middle-class households tend to spend in a
relatively similar manner, spending patterns among affluent
households differ considerably, likely due to the greater
discretionary power these households enjoy in terms of spending

Differences in spending patterns between households tend to grow
as household income rises, creating new opportunities for niche
markets and higher quality goods.

So some rich households will divert large parts of their income
to luxury travel, others to haute couture; while the obscenely rich
will buy properties in central London or Manhattan, Lamborghinis,
and super yachts. How are we to make sense of what is driving
consumption patterns as households get richer? One answer could be
found in one of the best books Ive read recently: This is Marketing by Seth Godin,
arguably the worlds number one marketing expert. Indeed, Seth Godin
could help us understand consumption behaviour across most
households, with the exception of those at subsistence levels. His
mantra is simple but compelling: People like us do things like
this. For example, people like us eat sushi and do Bikram yoga; or
people like us send our children to private schools and holiday at
Noosa.

...

21:24

Interesting to note that on Friday
14 December, Torres Strait Air Pilatus Britten-Norman
BN-2A-27 Islander VH-TRS was noted ferrying North from Archerfield
to Cairns via Gladstone and Mackay Airports. It appears to
have completed planned maintenance after arriving into Archerfield
in October.

https://www.facebook.com/torresair/

As we posted below, fellow Torres Strait Air Pilatus
Britten-Norman BN2A-8 Islander VH-MBF was noted flying South to
Archerfield from Mareeba via Mackay and Gladstone Airports on
Wednesday 12 December where it appears to have
entered the maintenance hangar.

Meanwhile, a couple of bizjet movements at Mackay Airport also on
Friday 14 December included the locally-based
Embraer EMB-550 Legacy 500 N142GZ departing to Brisbane, while
the the Queensland Police Service (Airwing) (State of
Queensland) Cessna 560 Citation Ultra VH-PSU popped in while on a
busy day of flying out of and back to Cairns. VH-PSU also
called into Rockhampton Airport too!

21:21

LABOR 55 SEATS COALITION 27 GREEN 3 IND 3There is no single method of calculating 2PP for this
election. The following are examples of possible
figures:57.62% to Labor (Uniform swing applied to Richmond - probably
fairest method)57.89% to Labor (Richmond treated as 100% to Labor)57.35% to Labor (Richmond excluded)

With two-party results for all Lower House seats now available it's
time to wrap up my Victorian election coverage for 2018, on a high
because at least that's the one house where I can talk about the
results without constantly losing my temper at the system.
The article again includes a 2PP pendulum. While this will be
of less use for the future than the 2014 one was, given that there
is a major redistribution coming, I think it is still useful for
looking at the results, and especially at whether the Coalition was
lucky not to lose even more seats than it did.

Final vote share results

The final primaries for the Lower House were Labor 42.86%,
Coalition 35.19, Greens 10.71, Others
11.24. As @sorceror43
notes,excluding Richmond, "Labor won 67.4% of all
minor party prefs, slightly down from 69.8% in 2014. That's despite
Greens share of all minors dropping from 57.8% in 2014 to
48.4%." I have not attempted to measure shifts in the
preferences of Greens and Others specifically yet, but suspect
there was very little change.

There is unfortunately no unique way to calculate the statewide 2PP
for this election because of the Liberals' ill-fated decision to
not contest the district of Richmond. Richmond is a very
pro-Labor seat on a 2PP basis so removing Richmond from the results
has the effect of downplaying the swing across other
districts. While official sources will probably need to give
a 2PP percentage based on an actual vote tally, I think that
applying the swing from all electorates other than Richmond to
Richmond on a notional basis creates the fairest estimate of
57.62% to Labor, a swing after rounding of
5.63 points. The average swing per seat was
slightly lower at 5.47%, as a result of population
distortions. The standard deviation of seat swings on a 2PP
basis was 3.84%.

As well as the estimates available by omitting Richmond or treating
Richmond as 100% Labor, Antony Green has tweeted a further
statewide estimate of 57.7% obtained by applying derived Greens
flows from other seats to Richmond. However this implies an
85.9% (+12.8%) estimated 2PP in Richmond, which is out of step for
other comparable seats. Another rough way to get a handle on
the possible swing in Richmond (had the Liberals run a candidate is
to look at the Upper House votes). In the remaining
Nor...

17:07

I was recently re-reading John B Alexander's book "Reality
Denied." (2017. Anomalist Books, San Antonio, Texas.) In
chapter one he relates his experiences working for Robert Bigelow's
National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS.) On page four,
Alexander writes of Bigelow "...NIDS was not his first foray into
supporting PSI research. For a time, Angela Thompson had done work
at the Bigelow Foundation..." I wondered just who Angela Thompson
was, so conducted some research.

"Dr Angela Thompson Smith's primary qualifications were in nursing
and social work in the U.K. She gained her BSc in Psychology at the
University of Wales, in Cardiff; her M.S. at the Facility of
medicine of Manchester University, England and later, her PhD. in
Psychology with Saybrook University, San Fransisco, CA. Dr Smith
continued her education with united Way of Southern Nevada/UNLV
where she completed the certificate in Non-profit management.

Dr Smith has a wide experience of research and management having
worked as a research analyst at the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and, later as a staff member with
the
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory, at
Princeton University, New jersey. In the southwest, Dr Smith became
Research Coordinator with the Bigelow Foundation and taught
professional; development courses through the University of Nevada,
Adult Continuing Education program.

Following five years as a staff member of PEAR (1987-1992) Dr Smith
was employed as Research Coordinator with the Bigelow Foundation
(1992-1994.) Prior to
The Bigelow Chair in Consciousness Studies at The University of
Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), before the Consciousness Research
laboratory at UNLV, and before the
National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) in Las Vegas,
there was the Bigelow Foundation. Incidentally, according to the
Secretary of Nevada business name search, NIDS is still
listed as an active business name as of 2018.

17:00

Here are the answers with discussion for this Weekends
Quiz. The information provided should help you work out
why you missed a question or three! If you havent already done the
Quiz from yesterday then have a go at it before you read the
answers. I hope this helps you develop an understanding of Modern
Monetary Theory (MMT) and its application to macroeconomic
thinking. Comments as usual welcome, especially if I have made an
error.Question 1:

A national government can run a balanced fiscal position (taxes
equal spending) over the economic cycle (peak to peak) as long as
it accepts that, after all the spending adjustments are exhausted,
their strategy will ensure that households and firms overall spend
more than they earn that is, run down previous savings or
accumulate more net debt.

The answer is False.

Note that this question begs the question as to how the economy
might get into this situation that I have described using the
sectoral balances framework. But whatever behavioural forces were
at play, the sectoral balances all have to sum to zero. Once you
understand that, then deduction leads to the correct answer.

The trick in the question is that it invites a confusion between
the factual (accounting) statement a government deficit (surplus)
equals $-for-$ a non-government surplus (deficit) and the
proposition put.

The households and firms overall do not exhaust the
non-government sector. So what happens when the governments runs a
balanced fiscal position to the private domestic sector balance
(the households and firms) depends crucially on what happens to the
external sector.

To refresh your memory the balances are derived as follows. The
basic income-expenditure model in macroeconomics can be viewed in
(at least) two ways: (a) from the perspective of the
sources of spending; and (b) from the perspective
of the uses of the income produced. Bringing these
two perspectives (of the same thing) together generates the
sectoral balances.

From the sources perspective we write:

(1) GDP = C + I + G + (X M)

which says that total national income (GDP) is the sum of total
final consumption spending (C), total private investment (I), total
government spending (G) and net exports (X M).

Expression (1) tells us that total income in the economy per
period will be exactly equal to total spending from all sources of
expenditure.

We also have to acknowledge that financial balances of the
sectors are impacted by net government taxes (T) which includes all
tax revenue minus total transfer and interest p...

10:17

Tony Rinaudo's regeneration technique, developed in west
Africa 30 years ago, has helped bring back forest over 6m
hectaresThrough the cacophony of the UN's global climate talks, an
Australian farmer is quietly spreading his plan to reforest the
world.Over more than 30 years in west Africa, Tony Rinaudo has
regenerated more than 6m hectares an area nearly as large as
Tasmania. His farmer-managed natural regeneration technique is
responsible for 240m trees regrowing across that parched [...]

Thursday, 13 December

15:00

The other day I submitted an article analysing 2018 YTD costs
for wholesale electricity in the 5 states that make up the national
electricity market. It did not fly but my interest was aroused
again today when an article in the state of darkness daily rag
talked about the big battery helping to drive down costs.

Using the data from the YTD analysis and adding December 2017 I
have looked at the summer costs, (December 2017 + January 2018 +
February 2018) for QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS and SA to see what the
differences are. These are wholesale prices before the transmission
people and the retailing parasites add their margins and presumably
before the RET subsidies are distributed. Remember also, it is
supposed to be a national market.

For each state I found the percentage of time that price/MWh was
above $150, the actual cost of the electricity consumed in these
periods and the percentage of the total summer cost that it
represented. The editor cannot reproduce the table or the chart and
it may have to await the return of Sinc to see the results most
clearly. They can be summarised as follows.

Victoria and South Australia were outstanding in the amount of
time when the price was more than $150 per MWh and the amount of
the total bill for the summer period that was racked up on those
high cost days. The amount of time in the high cost zone ranged
from 0.4% for NSW, 0.7% for Qld, 2.1% for Tasmania, 2.4%
for Victoria and 4.9% for SA. The highest cost for the
period showed a huge range from $280/MWh in NSW through 2,500 in
Qld, 4,200 in Tasmania, to 12,900 in Victoria and the gold
medal at 14,16676.50 in SA.

Another way to report the difference between the states is to
count the % of the total summertime costs that were incurred during
those short periods when the price was above 150.MWh.

The folk in NSW have it easy. They had 4.97% of the time with
prices above $150/MWh and the total percentage of the summer bill
was just 1.47.

SA and VIC, the renewables states were not so fortunate.
For the 2.43% of time in VIC the percentage of the summer bill was
32.96. In SA, the state of darkness and rank stupidity it was
45.39% of the total summer bill for 4.9% of the time.

A chart that cannot be reproduced here shows the
gigantic spikes in SA and Victoria on Jan 18 and 19 when consumers
were flogged with when prices up $14,000+ per MWh as the system was
about to fall over. TAS managed to get free power when SA and VIC
were paying through the nose.

As I said, this is supposed to be a national market. Clearly it
is a very distorted one where consumers are treated differently in
different states. When electricity was generated in large thermal
power stations the cost did not vary from minute to...

From winning the right to vote for women to saving the Franklin
River, the power of protest has been vital in achieving positive
change in Australia. Yet governments around Australia are
increasingly trying to undermine our rights to gather together and
speak out about the issues we care about. This has to stop, said
Hugh de Kretser, Executive Director of the Human Rights Law
Centre.

Against the backdrop of the remarkable student strikes across
the country for action on climate change and rising community
activism on issues from the Adani mine to changing the date of
Australia Day, protest rights will be increasingly significant.

Our rights to protest and free speech will be under even great
pressure as exploitation of our planet increases in the coming
decade. This report shows governments how we should be protecting
protest in a healthy democracy, said former Senator Bob Brown.

The report criticises governments in NSW, Tasmania and Western
Australia for introducing or trying to introduce harsh and
unnecessary anti-protest laws with severe penalties, excessive
police powers and broad, vague offences. The laws prioritise vested
business and government interests over peoples democratic
rights.

While the Tasmanian laws were struck down by the High Court last
year, the Hodgman Government has promised to try and resurrect
them. NSW anti-protest laws, with penalties of up to 7 years jail
for interfering with a mine, including coal seam gas sites, remain
in force.

Protest rights are absolutely essential to a healthy democracy.
When governments chip away at our protest rights, they erode our
democracy. This report provides a blueprint for a democracy where
protest rights are protected and promoted, said Mr de Kretser.

The report will be launched at NSW Parliament House at 12.30pm.
Speaking at the launch will be:

Former Senator, Dr Bob Brown who has dedicated
his career to protecting the environment and who, together with
Jessica Hoyt, successfully challenged the Tasmania anti-protest
laws.

Broadcaster and journalist Julie McCrossin, a
life-long LGBTI rights advocate who attended countless
demonstrations, was arrested many times and participated in the
first Mardi Gras........

Friday, 30 November

03:04

When John Allen Chau decided to visit
North Sentinel Island, he put its people in serious danger

Survival International

Mary Ho, the head of the missionary agency which supported John
Chau, is now claiming that he was not a risk to the Sentinelese
tribe. She says, We are talking about a different time here,
were talking about a time right now when there is modern medicine,
when there is antibiotics.

Survival Internationals Director Stephen Corry said today:

This displays an extraordinary level of ignorance which
highlights why its so dangerous for such people to be anywhere near
uncontacted tribes. Its taken them nearly two weeks to prepare
their answer, but lets look at what theyre actually claiming.

They say he was medically trained. In fact, he had a degree in
health and sports medicine and apparently some training in
emergency medicine. He was not qualified as a medical doctor. When
the Brazilian Indian Agency (FUNAI) were
conducting first contact expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s, they
had specialist doctors with them. Even they could not prevent
widespread death from disease, and the expeditions were
abandoned.

Their leader, Sydney Possuelo, said, I believed itd be possible
to make contact with no pain or deaths, I organized one of the best
equipped fronts that FUNAI ever had. I
prepared everything I set up a system with doctors and nurses. I
stocked with medicines to combat the epidemics which always follow.
I had vehicles, a helicopter, radios and experienced personnel. I
wont let a single Indian die, I thought. And the contact came, the
diseases arrived, the Indians died.